Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center, a multipurpose indoor arena and events center at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, has replaced its aging audio system with a new installation driven by the Powersoft cloud-based Unica amplifier platform.
Home to the Lamar Cardinals and Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball teams, the 10,746-seat Neches Arena also hosts volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling, boxing and martial arts events, as well as concerts and other live entertainment. Lamar University, the venue’s owner/operator, additionally hires out the arena floor (which can be expanded to 19,965 square feet) for graduation ceremonies, proms, dances, banquets and conferences.
Kendall Bowman, acoustic engineer for Anthony James Partners (AJP), which designed and specified the new audio system, explains that the upgraded system needed to deliver on multiple fronts, being able to “meet the multifunctional needs of the arena, increase the intelligibility, and provide enough power to meet the demand of the space.” The system replaced an earlier set-up comprising “one large full-range box and a few delay speakers” that had fallen into disrepair and were failing to meet the needs of the space, he adds. “The university wanted to bring the system up to date with current technology and improve the experience for those attending events. They needed to have the designed system to be robust and provide many years of consistent use.”
The specified system as installed and configured by Bluum Technology comprises four Unica 8K8 (8,000 watts/eight-channel), two Quattrocanali 8804 DSP+D (9,600 watts/four-channel) and one Ottocanali 8K4 (8,000 watts/eight-channel) amplifier platforms, along with a Midas M32 console, four Shure ULXD wireless microphones, a Q-SYS Core 110f processor, and Netgear M4250 switches. The Powersoft amplifiers power an all-Fulcrum loudspeaker set consisting of 20 FH15 and 24 CX826 units joined by four Sub218L subwoofers.
The loudspeakers utilzse the DSP built into the Powersoft amplifiers, with additional processing and control provided by the Q-SYS Core, installed by Bluum in a rack under the basketball court bleachers (seating). The pull-out bleachers also house the Netgear switches, a touch panel and audio connection points. A redundant Dante AV-over-IP network transports the sound to the control room over fiber cable, notes Trey Bracamonte-Harrell, lead integration tech for Bluum.
As in many retrofits of older venues (the Montagne Center was built in 1984), the design of the new sound system was constrained by the space available, with AJP having to work around the existing infrastructure – including the remnants of the old system – Bowman continues, outlining the challenges faced by his team and Bluum: “The old system had been repaired and updated many times, leaving behind traces of the old system, with many pieces of the system in several different locations. We wanted to make sure that the new system would be able to have permanent home and create a clean result with as few locations to house the equipment as possible. In the end, we were able to work with the university to find an appropriate location for the amplifiers and processing equipment, and while maintaining easy access for maintenance and monitoring.”
That appropriate location was a Middle Atlantic WRK rack, which houses the Powersoft amplifiers and networking equipment. This complements the under-bleacher rack (also a Middle Atlantic model) and a portable rack containing the console and microphones. Elsewhere, AJP used the arena’s existing steel grid to find appropriate hang points for the loudspeakers (while still allowing space for the grid to be used for rigging visiting events).
Powersoft won over Bowman with the support offered by its U.S. team, who he says were an “amazing resource for this project”, he comments: “They helped make sure the amplifiers were the correct match for the system and offered suggestions to create the best power possible. In addition, they provided some needed support on the control programming side, which allowed the amplifiers to be managed through the Q-SYS platform. This provided great feedback on the touch panel in regards to monitoring system health and allowing zone control of the system.”
He describes the final result as a “great success”, with Lamar University “very happy with the overall result” delivered by AJP, Bluum and Powersoft. “They are now able to provide the experience they intended for their attendees for many years to come. They still call once in a while if they need help sorting out signal flow for a specific game,” adds Bracamonte-Harrell.
“It was exciting to be able to design a system that brought high intelligibility and audio quality to every seat in the arena,” concludes Bowman, “and give those attending events a much-needed improvement.”
